no more secrets
by fairytalelights
Summary: Robin running into Reyna in the dead of night in Jump City had been completely accidental. But it may have been one of the best things that has ever happened to him. And the truth, really, just means no more secrets. /oneshot, possibly twoshot if I've got the motivation for it./
1. Chapter 1

**Written purely for fun, because I was bored and didn't want to start on history. Plus I think that they kind of match pretty well. **

**(Reviews would be wonderful. And constructive criticism. And stuff.)**

* * *

><p>Robin had, many times, been called a good leader. Loyal. Determined. Quick. Brave. And, most importantly of all, he was also considered a good friend. He also knew, however, that he could be a complete idiot sometimes.<p>

He would always believe, however, that he had made one of the smartest and greatest decisions of his life when he scribbled down his number onto a dark-haired, dark-eyed girl's palm.

He had been riding through Jump City late at night on his spare, un-Robinfied motorbike, and in his completely civilian outfit. Forget the traffic-coloured suit and the bike that screamed his name. That night, he was simply another teenaged boy, wearing sunglasses, a pair of jeans and a plain T-shirt, riding through the night for one simple reason:

_Girls_.

This unplanned night bike ride was, simply put, due to a certain red-headed alien girl with the brightest green eyes that Robin had ever seen before. And this night bike ride was, simply put, a necessity, because Robin could _not _wrap his head around what exactly he felt for Starfire anymore.

Once upon a time, he'd been very, very fond of her. He'd liked her, a lot. Perhaps he had even been a little in love.

But now that feeling was fading. He still did like Starfire; he always would. It was just that the sight of her didn't give him as much comfort as it had before, and that her smile didn't make his heart pound faster than it had before, or – or anything, really.

And so he drove into the night. For just one night, he wasn't Robin, leader of the Teen Titans, many-times-over hero of Jump City. He was just another teenage boy.

And he needed that.

What he had _not _expected was to drive past a darkened alleyway and see a girl, no older than him, tackle three very big, very buff, very evil-looking guys.

Robin's reflexes had kicked in instantly. He was off his bike in a second, and even without his belt – he had chosen to stash it away in the bike, and besides, he didn't need his belt for a fight like this – he was quick on his feet, jumping up onto and knocking out the first guy.

He had thought, for a moment, that he'd seen only a single eye in the guy's head, instead of two. But he'd brushed that off almost immediately, and it had been two eyes fluttering themselves shut as the guy collapsed onto the ground.

Robin had looked over at the girl, then, who had glanced over at him. She didn't looked scared, or worried, or nervous, even – but did she look just a little annoyed? Her face was cold and impassive, and reminded Robin of one of those Greek sculptures of their goddesses that he always saw in museums or at famous sites.

She had given him a quick nod, as if recognising that he had joined the fight and that he could hold his own, and had turned back to the two bulky, massive guys in front of her.

The three guys were all down in less than ten minutes.

"Are you okay?" he'd asked her, an instinctive reaction when he jumped into a fight.

She looked at him coolly, and leaned against what looked like a long staff that glittered golden. "I'm fine." And then, almost grudgingly: "Thanks for your help."

"Don't mention it," Robin said. "You shouldn't be out here on the streets alone at night. It could be dangerous."

Something in the girl's eyes had flashed – suspicion, and what looked very much like anger.

"I was handling things fine," she said, and Robin couldn't protest, because he _had _seen that the girl had been managing herself well; it had just been his hero instincts that had kicked in and caused him to leap into the fight. "I can take care of myself."

Robin hesitated, and then nodded. "What are you going to do with these guys? You going to go to the station?"

She shook her head. "I'll deal with them myself."

"But – "

The girl had fixed him with a sharp look, then, a cold, sharp look. It was a look that he recognised himself, and that was when he _knew_. She was a girl who had her own way of dealing with things, a girl who wanted to settle things on her own, a girl who could handle herself fine.

It reminded him vaguely of himself.

So he had nodded, and fought against his instincts which said that she should _not _leave this girl alone with these three bulky, passed-out guys.

"If it worries you so much," she said, "I won't be alone. I've got a friend coming along in a few minutes."

He could hear the truth in her voice.

"Okay," he had said. But before he left, he whipped out a pen and, without a word, took her hand and scribbled his number on it. It was the number to his own cell, the number that the Titans knew existed but didn't know what it was, exactly. He could feel her stiffen as he scrawled in the last few digits, see her face lock into a cool, emotionless, hard mask as he dropped her hand. It was impulsive, and it was stupid, and he didn't really know what he was doing. He _knew_ this was stupid. It went completely against his usually, highly suspicious nature. But there it was - the number scrawled on her hand.

"If you ever need help," he'd said. "Or, if you want to practice hand-to-hand combat, or something. You were really good out there."

That wasn't a lie. He had watched how she'd fought, and had been able to tell, immediately, that this girl _knew _what she was doing. And it also helped that Robin, for all his wonderful team-mates that were his family, didn't really have anyone to practice hand-to-hand combat with.

It would also maybe help to have someone outside. A friend, he hoped, if he ever saw this girl after tonight. It wasn't like she knew he was a Titan, after all.

He looked at her face, and even through her guarded expression, he thought he saw her face soften, just a little.

"All right," she'd said. "I could do with some practice myself."

He'd held out his hand, then. "I forgot to introduce myself. I'm – " He hesitated for a minute, a hesitation that he saw the dark girl catch onto quickly. "I'm Richard."

She'd nodded, and had taken his hand. "Reyna."

With that, he'd jumped back onto his bike and backed away, out of the alley. He waited across the street, in the cover of darkness, and he waited until he saw a bulky boy run along the street until he reached the alleyway, and until Reyna came out to talk to the bulky boy and point back into the alleyway.

Robin drove away.

* * *

><p>It was maybe a week later that he got the phone call.<p>

Robin frowned when he dug out his phone. He didn't have to worry about the other Titans hearing the call – Beast Boy and Cyborg were playing video games, Starfire was making something in the kitchen and cooing to Silkie, and Raven was meditating on the roof.

"Hello?" he asked, cautiously, after picking up the phone.

"Richard," a voice said on the other end. "It's Reyna."

He widened his eyes and shot out of the room and into the hallway like a cannonball. Reyna. He hadn't forgotten about the strange girl with the hardened expression and her guarded eyes. Hell, he'd even driven around Jump City at night a couple of times, trying to see if he could find her. She'd never appeared.

"Hey," he said.

"Are you still up for some combat practice?"

And it was then that Robin found himself on a deserted area of land outside of Jump City hours later, exhausted, and sweating, and tired, but very much satisfied. Reyna was sitting on a large rock opposite him, her purple shirt drenched in sweat, her dark hair curling where it'd loosened from her braid.

Robin had never had a fight quite like that before. She was _good_. She was incredibly, incredibly good. She could even give _him _a run for his money, even though she didn't use martial arts like she actually knew it. With the level of skill she had, Robin doubted that she could be _that _good without a reason for having to be. But then, she didn't seem like a crime-fighter, and she didn't seem like a villain, either, though she could very well be either.

Strangely, he didn't really care. It was good to just have someone who didn't know who he was, who didn't look to him to make the decisions or look up to him or rely on him. And, somehow, he thought that Reyna might be feeling the same way.

So he didn't ask, and he didn't care.

"Do you ever take off your sunglasses?" she asked him.

At that, Robin stiffened slightly, but he shook his head determinedly. "Not really. I feel – safer with them."

She hadn't said anything at that, just looked at him intently with those dark, guarded eyes of hers.

"Fair enough," she said.

"Do you want to go grab a drink or something?"

She raised her eyebrows at that, but she agreed.

And that was how Robin found himself with Reyna at the pizza place he almost always went to with the Titans, sharing a pizza and sipping massive drinks.

It was different, and it was a good different. He wasn't there after yet another session of beating up some villain and throwing him into jail. He wasn't there with the constant yells and arguments about meat and vegetarian pizza, or someone drinking mustard, or someone simply sitting there and ignoring the world around her.

He was there after an exhausting training session with someone who didn't look to him to always do the right thing or to make the decisions, and who didn't talk so very much but didn't talk so little, sharing a Hawaiian pizza and sipping at sodas.

It was different. A good different.

* * *

><p>And so Robin found himself calling her up more and more often, and found his phone ringing more and more often as well. It was good to just get away from everything. He knew his team-mates had realised that he disappeared for hours at a time, and that he wouldn't tell anyone where he went – he'd given both Beast Boy and Cyborg an earful when he realised that they'd been about to follow him, and had led them on a merry chase throughout the city while he sped on his Robin bike, only to go on a massive detour, change quickly and hide his bike, and find Reyna on foot, which had made him very, very late.<p>

And more and more often, he found that they weren't just doing hand-to-hand combat practice sessions and heading out for food or a drink. More and more often they would go out and do regular teenage stuff. He learnt quickly that she didn't particularly like shopping, or going to the arcade, and more often than not they'd sit around somewhere with a smoothie or a soda, just talking, or explore Jump City. Even with his daily saving-Jump-City routine, there was plenty of the city he hadn't explored before; and he'd learnt that Reyna didn't actually live in Jump City either, though she dropped by from time to time, and she'd mentioned that it was convenient for her to come to Jump City. Something about an easy mode of transportation.

She was like him, in a lot of ways he could tell. She was a leader – a leader who had to bear the responsibility of her actions for a huge amount of people, and who wasn't always sure if what she was doing was right. She'd gone through plenty of pain and sadness, and she was no stranger to hurt, emotional or physical. Her face was guarded, her eyes watchful, like an enemy could spring up at any moment – but when he was with her, just as he could feel his own mask and responsibilities slipping away, he could see the hardness on her face being softened as well.

He didn't ask what she was, or what she led, or what kind of decisions and pain she had to go through.

She never asked him, either, though he was sure that she could tell he was like her. She was a seasoned fighter, just like him. She saw things.

He didn't tell the Titans about Reyna.

This was _his _life. His life outside of the Titans. And he didn't want to do anything that might destroy it.

* * *

><p>It was when Robin saw her talking to a muscular, blond boy with bright blue eyes that something in him clenched up.<p>

They were supposed to go and watch some movie. He figured that this was probably not the best idea, since a villain could attack at any moment – he'd already had to run off from his meetings with Reyna more than a few times, and she hadn't really seemed to mind that much, saying that she didn't mind heading back early. One of the best and worst parts was that Robin knew she was telling the truth, that she didn't mind. The best because she didn't ask – she accepted that he had a life outside these meetings with her, these meetings that had all stemmed from an encounter in an alleyway in the dark of the night and a shared passion for hand-to-hand combat with someone who really knew what they were doing. The worst because it made him feel even more horrible, the way he'd run off on her.

But there she was, standing outside the cinema with a good-looking, muscular blond boy.

Robin marched his way over to them, the scowl on his face clear as day.

"I know what I'm doing, Jason," she was saying to him. "I can take care of myself. You know that."

"Reyna, I don't want you doing something stupid and reckless – "

"When have I _ever _done anything stupid and reckless? All I'm doing is having a life outside of _you _and outside of – "

Reyna broke off, abruptly, when she saw him, his sunglasses on his face as they always were.

"Richard," she said. Then her gaze snapped to the blond boy, and back to him. "Richard, this is Jason. Jason, Richard."

Jason had looked at Robin. Robin had looked at Jason.

"Take care of my girl for me," was all Jason said to him. And then he turned and walked away.

Robin didn't say much, not as they paid for the movie tickets and for the popcorn and soda. (Reyna never let him pay for anything. She said that she could take care of whatever she bought, and him paying would make her feel indebted to him. Robin could understand that. She also said that him paying made it seem as if they were on a date. He could understand that too.)

"You're strangely quiet," she said, taking a handful of popcorn. She had also bought a large packet of jelly beans, which she was now holding. He'd realised that she liked jelly beans a lot. And chocolate. She _loved _chocolate.

Robin shrugged; and then, almost to his horror and complete surprise, he asked, abruptly: "Was that your boyfriend?"

Reyna had looked at him, her mask slipping away quickly to reveal a look of shock, before she got in control of herself again.

"Jason?" she said. "No. We've just been friends for years, and we worked very closely together as well. He's got a girlfriend of his own. A friend of mine."

"Then when he said _my girl _– "

"He's just protective," said Reyna. "Like I said. Friends for years. He knows me inside and out. Besides – " here a faint smile crossed his face " – he feels responsible for me. His girlfriend won't be the only one who murders him if something happens to me on his watch."

There was no bitterness in her voice, nothing.

Robin suddenly felt very much happier.

* * *

><p>Robin kept his time spent with Reyna separate from the Titans – and after what had happened to Beast Boy and Cyborg, none of them tried to follow him again or find out where he went. He'd had a single talk with Raven, who had wanted to make sure he wasn't doing anything stupid or foolhardy; and when having reassured herself that he was <em>not <em>doing something stupid or crazy that would endanger his life, she'd made sure the rest of the team knew that whatever he was doing, it was all right, even if she didn't know what it was that he did when he disappeared from the Tower.

His life was split into two parts. Reyna, and the Titans. And day by day, week by week, Reyna was taking up more and more of his time.

What he had never expected was for the two separate halves of his life to collide.

The alarm had sounded. They'd headed downtown. And found themselves face to face with a bunch of massive, ugly, misshapen creatures that Robin had decided _had _to be ogres or something like that.

There were only five of them. They were big, and slow, and stupid. It should have been easy.

But nothing any of them did seemed to harm them. They could knock them flat on the ground, knock them out for a couple of minutes, cause them to stagger back; but they would be up again in minutes, roaring and shouting and yelling.

And that was when the huge horse with wings had come flying in, a dark-haired girl dressed in glittering armour and chainmail on its back, holding a golden spear.

She took out the first three ogres easily enough. Every time she jabbed with her spear, darting in and out of their reach, they dissolved into golden, glittering dust. Robin had only watched, his jaw dropping, at this strange girl fighting their battle for them, taking out the monsters so easily when they hadn't been able to do it.

Then she got injured trying to kill the fourth ogre, and she tumbled off the horse, her helmet slightly askew as she plunged the golden spear into his belly.

The fifth ogre was approaching –

Robin didn't even think.

In an instant he'd taken the spear from the fallen, injured girl, and thrust it into the chest of the fifth monster.

He promptly exploded into dust.

And that was when Robin turned to the injured girl, who was breathing heavily, bleeding. They _had _to take this girl back to the Tower, they had to heal her, treat her wounds. Carefully, he returned her the spear, and even more carefully, he lifted the helmet.

The eyes that looked back up at him were careful and guarded and dark, and long dark hair was spiralling out of a plain braid, and the girl's features were _so very familiar._

His eyes widened in disbelief. "_Reyna_?"

"Richard," she murmured, and then promptly collapsed.

* * *

><p>She'd been placed into the T-Car, and Robin had abandoned his bike, leaving it on the streets as he sat with her in the back seat, keeping her up, making sure she was okay. The huge flying horse galloped as it flew through the air behind them, a fair distance away from Raven and Starfire and Beast Boy.<p>

"You'll be okay, Reyna," Robin muttered. "You're going to pull through this. You are _not _dying on me when you owe me a pizza."

Robin knew Cyborg was looking at him through the mirror. He didn't care.

When he got her to the infirmary, her eyelids fluttered open. "Ambrosia," she gasped. "And nectar. In my – in my belt."

He didn't ask questions, not even as Starfire and Raven and Beast Boy appeared behind Cyborg in the doorway. He found her belt, pulled out a plastic of squashed, yellow squares.

When she nodded, he immediately opened it, and pushed a few squares into her hands. Carefully, helping her lift her arm slightly when needed, he watched as she swallowed the first square, and her face relaxed; and then she took the second square, and she took a deep breath.

Colour returned to her face, her eyes brightened considerably, and the blood stopped gushing from her wounds.

"Dude," said Beast Boy, "what was _that_?"

Reyna's eyes had flickered over to the four of them by the door. She seemed to accept the fact, quite calmly, that there was indeed a half-robot, a greens-skinned boy, a redheaded alien and a grey-skinned girl standing behind Robin.

"Ambrosia and nectar," she said, managing to prop herself up on the bed. "A demigod's basic healing supplies."

"A – a _what_?" Robin looked at her, eyes wide.

She looked at him, and somehow, Robin knew, right then, that it didn't matter. It didn't matter that he was Robin, the leader of the Teen Titans, in his stupid traffic-coloured suit; and it didn't matter that she had a flying horse, and she fought and killed those monsters like she'd done it a million times before, or that she was a – a _demigod_, whatever that was.

She said, "Aren't the colours a bit too much?"

He told her, "_You're _the one in glittering armour."

* * *

><p>It was that day that he found out about a world alongside their own. A world where Greek and Roman gods and goddesses roamed the earth and continued to have affairs with plenty of mortals, where monsters constantly appeared to kill and strike down demigods, and where there existed two entire camps of teenagers who knew how to wield a sword and hold their own against anything that came their way.<p>

"And where do you stand, exactly?" he asked her. "You know I'm Robin of the Teen Titans, now. But who are you exactly?"

She gave him a long look.

"Reyna Avila Ramirez-Arellano," she said. "Daughter of Bellona, the Roman war goddess. Praetor of the Twelfth Legion."

Robin's mind went into overdrive, absorbing her words, recalling all that he'd ever read about Ancient Rome. And he understood.

"You lead them," he said. "You lead an entire legion of warriors."

She raised her head, slightly. "The First Cohort to the Fifth, of Camp Jupiter. Yes."

"And Jason - ?"

"He used to be my fellow praetor," she said. "My colleague. He has since resigned from his post. I now work with a son of Mars called Frank Zhang."

Robin blinked. "Oh."

What did he say to that?

They were on the rooftop, watching the sun set over the vast ocean.

"I would be mad at you," Robin admitted. "For keeping such a huge secret from me. But I've got no right to be. I kept a pretty big secret too."

"I'm feeling the same way," said Reyna. "The only thing keeping me from not harming you is that I didn't tell you about all of this, either." She waved a hand at her armour, at her spear, at the Pegasus that Robin now knew was called Guido behind them.

There was a long pause.

"I still owe you that pizza," she said.

He raised his head in surprise.

"This will – this will continue, right?" she asked, and Robin thought he saw a flash of uncertainty in her eyes. "What we have – I mean, what we're doing. The sodas and the walks and everything. Will it?"

Something washed over Robin then. A rush of affection, of relief, of pure _joy _that the girl next to him still wanted to spend time with him, to go out and simply be normal teenagers.

"It's not easy having so many decisions to make," he said. "To know that everyone looks towards you. That one small mistake can mean the destruction of everything you've ever known."

"It's not," she agreed. "It never has been. Never will be."

"But it can be easier," said Robin. "Tomorrow at the pizza place at noon?"

She smiled at him. A real smile, a warm smile. "Okay."

Somehow, in the light of the sinking sun, in the noise of Guido's hooves clattering on the rooftop, Robin's hand found hers.

* * *

><p>As night fell, a small green bird ducked into the Tower from where it had been hiding on the rooftop, and transformed into a skinny, green-skinned boy with a fang.<p>

Cyborg looked at him. "Well?"

Beast Boy broke into a grin.

"The pizza place at noon tomorrow."

Cyborg pumped his fist. "Booya!"

* * *

><p>"Your friend was listening," Reyna said, as she clambered onto Guido, Robin next to her.<p>

Robin grinned. "Beast Boy?"

"That one," she said. "How does the usual place we get smoothies sound instead?"

"Twelve-thirty?"

"Twelve-thirty."

He squeezed her hand, gently.

And Reyna smiled at him, before taking off into the night sky.

And Robin stood on the edge of the rooftop, watching her fly further and further away from him.

And he smiled.

_No more secrets._


	2. Chapter 2

**hey so...wasn't really planning on extending this, but whatttheheck. thanks for the reviews!**

**hope you enjoy!**

* * *

><p>If there's one thing that Reyna's completely sure of, it's that she doesn't regret calling up the number scrawled on her hand that dark night in Jump City.<p>

She'd been there on a hunt for Imperial Gold – there'd been rumours of some being hidden there. And she'd insisted on going after it herself, much to Frank's uneasiness. But even with Frank Zhang working alongside her, there had been so many things to do as praetor, so many things to settle and to take care of and to deal with. She'd needed an escape, just for a while.

And then she'd met him.

She wonders, now, if it's any surprise, that he is who he is.

She's not an idiot. She knew, just as she knew he knew, that there was more to the both of them than they would ever admit. And they both knew that the whole reason for their meetings was an escape for both of them – a leap away from the responsibilities and the decisions and the stress they both face in their lives every day.

She guesses that it's not really a big deal that he's Robin of the Teen Titans. Not at all.

She's sitting at the smoothie place they always go to, and she's only been there about five minutes when a familiar figure slides into the seat on the other side of the table, sunglasses on his face as always.

"You're early," he says.

"I'm always early," she says. They're both early, of course. Richard is, in his own way, a gentleman, if such a term can even be used anymore. And she's always early, because that's how she is.

It's a good afternoon.

* * *

><p>She ends up being a familiar sight in the Titans Tower.<p>

Starfire, at first, is reluctant to be overly friendly towards her, despite her original boisterous nature. Reyna learns why soon enough. It's not very hard to see the alien girl's affections for her human leader.

Reyna chooses not to comment on it.

Raven is much easier to get along with. Sure, Reyna's never had much time for books, or for reading. Not when there's the whole of the Twelfth Legion to keep in check. But it is interesting to talk to her, and get to know her. And she's really not so bad. A little creepy, perhaps. But after Richard, Reyna likes Raven best.

Beast Boy and Cyborg? Well, Reyna won't deny it. They make her laugh easily, with their ridiculous fights over video games and meat versus tofu. Even if they do drive her crazy.

But she still spends almost all her free time with Robin.

Even though they know who each other really is now, it doesn't mean much of a change from their usual routine. Only nowadays, when they do train, it's at the Titans Tower.

It's not much of a difference, anyways. Richard still gets dressed in his civilian clothes, and Reyna hides her chainmail and weapons, and they go out for pizza or smoothies. Just the two of them. Reyna chooses not to go when it's the whole group of Titans going out together, and Richard stops asking after she says no the first four times.

They spend a lot of time at the park, just the two of them. He teaches her how to play Frisbee and what feels like a hundred other games, and they lie sprawled in the sunshine for hours, simply talking. For the moment, Reyna can forget about her responsibilities, about her duties.

But whenever she gets back to Camp Jupiter, there's always something waiting for her.

And now, even more increasingly, there is Jason waiting for her, usually with Nico.

"You're happier."

It's a statement, not a question. Reyna glances up across the desk to look at Nico, slouched in a chair.

"Yes."

"Do I get to know why?"

Reyna pauses. "Jason's told you, hasn't he?"

There is a sheepish green on Nico's face as he straightens up. "Maybe."

"He _did_," says Reyna.

"He said you met someone," Nico admits. "He wouldn't say who."

"He doesn't know who," says Reyna. "His name's Richard."

"And he makes you happy?" Nico wants to know.

Reyna thinks of Richard, grinning at her, talking to her, smiling at her. _Being there _for her. _Understanding _her.

"Yes."

Nico looks at her for a long moment, before nodding and leaning back in the chair.

"Okay, then."

* * *

><p>One day, Richard asks her if she would like to follow him to some sort of fancy event that the city is hosting. All the Teen Titans are invited, but he says she can come along, if she wants to.<p>

"Why?" she asks, simply. They're in the park, Reyna on the bench holding a hot chocolate, Richard next to her in a cap and sunglasses.

"Well – I mean – " He flushes for a minute, stammers. Reyna only vaguely notices it's a lot like how Frank acts with Hazel when the younger girl gets him all flustered, or he's got some kind of special surprise for her planned. "I'd like you to come with me. Beast Boy and Cyborg – they like to do their own stuff. And Raven too. And Star – well, she mingles a lot, you know? I thought it'd be – thought it'd be nice if you came along. With me. And. Spend time together. With me."

His whole face looks slightly red.

"We're spending time together right now," Reyna says, slightly confused.

"Uh – yeah. I mean, yeah. Guess we – guess we are." He chuckles awkwardly.

"But okay."

She sips at her hot chocolate as Richard bolts upright.

"O-okay?"

She nods. "Okay. I'll go with you."

He smiles at her so brightly that Reyna can't help but smile back.

* * *

><p>Reyna, for her part, cannot believe she is doing this. She thought she got rid of dresses long ago, back on Circe's island. As far as she's concerned, dresses are an evil nearly as bad as Octavian. And make-up? Oh, gods. At least she had Piper, though.<p>

But it's not like she really has much of a choice tonight.

When she shows up at the Titans Tower in her purple dress trimmed with gold and her dark hair tumbling down her back, make-up carefully done, Robin has to swallow. Hard.

God, why does she look _so good_?

To be fair, she always looks good, whether she's drenched in sweat or hiding out from the rain or bleeding out from numerous cuts. But hell – she looks really good. Really, really good.

There's a warmth pooling in his stomach, and he has to tug at the collar of the stupid jacket he's wearing.

"You look amazing," he says, weakly.

She smiles. "You don't look so bad yourself."

He's pretty sure there's a goofy grin spreading across his face as she smiles at him, that smile that seems to light up her whole face and makes the whole of Jump City look dim in comparison and is one of the only times her stoic mask falls away.

And Robin really, _really _hopes she doesn't feel his heart thumping furiously as she gets onto the bike behind him, her long legs pressed against his and her arms wrapping around his waist.

* * *

><p>"Robin, is this yet another of the Teen Titans?"<p>

"Who is she?"

"What's her name?"

"Is she your date for the night?"

"Thank the gods I don't live in this city," Reyna murmurs as she swings her leg off the bike and straightens up, wincing at the bright camera lights, the microphones, the eager faces, before removing the helmet from her head. Richard chuckles and slides off, taking off his own helmet.

"This is a friend of mine who's willingly agreed to join me for tonight," he says, smoothly, to the press. "No other comment."

"Robin – "

"But Robin – "

They manage to get in through the doors quickly enough, and Reyna can't help but smile slightly. "Is that what you have to put up with most days?"

Richard grins at her. It's a little strange to see him in his mask without his traffic-coloured uniform, but it's not so bad. She misses the sunglasses, though. "Not really. Must be because they don't know who you are. You're gonna get a lot of attention tonight." He pauses suddenly, as if struck by a thought, and then asks worriedly: "I'm sorry, I should have mentioned that earlier, if it bothers you a lot – "

"No," she says. "No, it's fine. It's not like they'll ever know who I am, anyway."

"And thank the gods you don't live in this city?" he asks, as he holds out his arm for her.

His heart pounds rapidly as she accepts the arm with a smile. "Thank the gods I don't live in this city."

He kind of wishes she does, though.

* * *

><p>They end up in the garden behind. It's a starry night, the moonlight shining brightly down on them, and in the large manor they can hear the sounds of laughter, of drifting music, of a fading argument that has to be Cyborg and Beast Boy.<p>

"You really know how to have fun," Reyna says, almost mournfully. "Your team-mates."

"They can kind of get a little annoying, though," Robin chuckles. "I bet all the dancers inside are getting really annoyed with them."

"I almost feel sorry for them."

There's something in her tone that makes him glance up at her as they walk through towering shrugs of colourful flowers. "You don't like dancing?"

"I've never really tried it," she admits. "Never had the time."

"No way." He stops to stand in front of her, and holds out his hand. "Come on. You have to try."

"What?"

"Dance with me."

Reyna wants to tell him _no_, that she doesn't dance, and she won't, because she's certainly not planning to start now.

But it's so _difficult _to say no when he's smiling at her like that.

So, hesitantly, she takes his hand. It's warm, comfortable, even, and her hand slides right into his like it's made to fit. "Okay."

He lifts up her hand, places his other on her waist; and they move, quietly, to the music drifting out on the wind. Stars glitter, and the moon is bright, and the light is shining out from the house and the music is only getting louder.

She looks into the mask that covers his eyes, the mask that hides who he is. And she wonders how he can bear to hide himself from the world all the time.

He looks into the dark eyes that are closed and guarded and shut tight against anyone who tries to make sense of her. And he wonders how anyone can live that way.

Somewhere in the moonlit gardens, in towering trees and grassy thorns and twining flowers, they dance.

And somehow, everything has changed.


End file.
